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Cleveland Metroparks board approves receipt of Whiskey Island

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Map of Whiskey Island and the Cuyahoga River, with new Metroparks properties bordered in yellow. The park system will lease the two parcels on the river that are closest to the lake, and will gain title to the other properties by year's end.
(Cleveland Metroparks )

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Metroparks'
board of commissioners gave their approval this morning to the receipt of
Whiskey Island and three other parcels totaling roughly 70 acres.

Commissioner Dan T. Moore III
recused himself because the Ohio Ethics Commission advised that he play no role
in the transfer.

Moore had owned Whiskey
Island, but sold it to Cuyahoga County in 2004, seven years before he was
appointed to the park board.

The county will sign over
ownership to the park system by December, Metroparks CEO Brian Zimmerman said.

The Metroparks will lease two parcels on opposing banks of the Cuyahoga River
near its mouth. Zimmerman said these will be
destinations for the water-taxi service that Leadership Cleveland is working to
revive.

The park system will also get
title to Heritage Park I on the east bank of the river. It is the northern terminus of the Towpath Trail.

The park system will not
purchase any of the land but has agreed to invest $6.25 million in improvements -- roughly what the county agreed to pay when it purchased Whiskey Island.

Improvements will include a
new break wall and docks at the marina on Whiskey Island.

Mouth of the Cuyahoga River with East Bank of the Flats site showing at lower right; Whiskey Island at top right; aerial photograph of Cleveland taken on Wed. June 1, 2011.Thomas Ondrey, The Plain Dealer

Presiding Probate Judge
Anthony Russo already gave his approval of the acquisition before the board
vote, as required by state law, according to Zimmerman's report.

The judge, who appoints the
park board, has been a strong supporter of the Metroparks taking a more active
role on the lakefront.

The now-vacant Coast Guard station on Whiskey
Island is still owned by the city of Cleveland and is not part of the deal.

Maureen Harper, chief of communications for
Mayor Frank Jackson, said in an email Wednesday that the future of the iconic structure
has yet to be determined.

"We are currently providing basic
maintenance for the Coast Guard station on Whiskey Island. Discussions
continue with public sector and private sector parties about possible uses. However, no decisions have been made at this time," Harper said.

County council is expected to vote on the
transfer next week.

Zimmerman and County Executive Ed FitzGerald announced the deal at a press conference Monday on Whiskey Island.

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